FEDERAL
Here’s Who Will Testify About Marijuana On Capitol Hill Next Week
Tom Angell writes for Marijuana Moment….
When members of Congress convene for a hearing on banking services for the marijuana industry next week, they’ll hear testimony from a state treasurer as well as individuals representing financial institutions, a drug policy reform organization and a medical cannabis dispensary, Marijuana Moment has learned.
The hearing is the first of the new Congress to address federal cannabis policy. It will cover the challenges that cannabis businesses face in securing accounts and credit lines from banks that are wary of taking on clients with ties to a federally banned substance.
The list of witnesses who will be called before the House has not yet been publicly released, though it was obtained by Marijuana Moment.
Read on at
Here’s Who Will Testify About Marijuana On Capitol Hill Next Week
Also See
Wednesday, February 13 at 2:00 PM – The Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee will convene a hearing entitled, “Challenges and Solutions: Access to Banking Services for Cannabis-Related Businesses.”
https://financialservices.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401865
Senate Judiciary Committee Advances William Barr for Attorney General
Barr’s nomination now heads to the full U.S. Senate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Feb. 7 to advance the nomination of William Barr for U.S. Attorney General to the full Senate floor. The final vote was 12-10, with Republican committee members supporting Barr unanimously.
In a broader context, the nomination is being closely watched for its implications on special counsel Robert Mueller’s FBI investigation into President Trump’s 2016 campaign. (This is where the 10 committee Democrats voiced their objections to the nominations, with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein arguing that certain opinions Barr has shared on the investigation’s trajectory should be “disqualifying.”)
https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/william-barr-senate-judiciary-committee/
590 Cannabis-Related Bills In State Capitols And Congress. Can Weed Businesses Keep Up?
More than 900 cannabis-related bills moved through state capitols and Congress in 2018, and there are already about 600 bills for 2019 sessions, according to Marijuana Moment’s Legislative Tracking Tools. Each state has its own regulations regarding the forms cannabis can be sold in, how it needs to be monitored, tested, packaged or advertised, and those rules are in flux as states figure out the best way to regulate the plant.
ARIZONA
Arizona Prosecutor Likens Cannabis Extracts To Illegally Manufactured Explosives
An Arizona prosecutor is doubling down on her argument that a popular form of medical marijuana remains illegal — even for those authorized to use the drug.
That comes as the Arizona Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a long-running legal fight over whether cannabis extracts qualify as medical marijuana.
HAWAII
Hawaii Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill In Committee
A Hawaii Senate committee approved a bill on Thursday to legalize marijuana for adults 21 older in the state.
Last week, the Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing and listened to spirited testimony from advocates and opponents of cannabis reform. When the committee reconvened for its latest meeting, they voted unanimously to advance the legislation forward.
“This is the first time, to the best of my knowledge, that a legislative committee here has moved a legalization bill,” Carl Bergquist, executive director of the advocacy group Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii (DPFH), told Marijuana Moment. “It’s very exciting.”
Hawaii Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill In Committee
ILLINOIS
First Bill Emerges To Legalize Recreational Cannabis In Illinois
A democratic state lawmaker has filed a bill to legalize recreational cannabis in Illinois that likely goes further than other legislators prefer, but it has officially started the debate over complex legislation that will need to serve many interests.
The bill, introduced Jan. 25 by Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana, would allow licensed businesses to grow and sell pot, and residents to grow up to 24 plants at home.
The measure is unlikely to pass because lawmakers are expected to act on a more restrictive proposal that’s been in the works for more than a year.
Among the more noteworthy provisions, Ammons’ bill would allow for the creation of on-site consumption areas for customers to smoke or swallow the drug.
First Bill Emerges To Legalize Recreational Cannabis In Illinois
OHIO
CBD Oil Products Pulled From Store Shelves Amid State Crackdown in Ohio
State officials now say only dispensaries can sell CBD products, but some store owners say CBD and marijuana are not the same.
https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/cbd-oil-state-crackdown-ohio/
OREGON
Oregon Cannabis Export Bill Gets Hearing, And A Warning From OR’s AG
A bill that would create the possibility of Oregon exporting marijuana to adjacent states where cannabis is also legal had its first public hearing Thursday, where advocates said it would give Oregon a way to relieve its oversupply and grow its brand.
Separately, the U.S. attorney for Oregon warned against it.
There is little expectation that Senate Bill 582 , if passed by the Legislature, would soon open marijuana commerce between Oregon and California, Nevada and Washington, the three states contiguous to Oregon where it is legal.
Oregon Cannabis Export Bill Gets Hearing, And A Warning From OR’s AG
